Boy, Does It Ever Suck Not Getting Paid!

[John Cooper]

DaveMage: I had received an email last week from the second individual in the company in question letting me know that he was sending me $60.00 now and the rest later. So I expect I'll eventually get my full $180.00, just in $60.00 "chunks."

Orcus: I appreciate the offer and the support. I don't think a lawyer will be necessary, and for now at least, I don't want to release the name of the company in question. Again, I think these are basically decent people running a small RPG company with a lot more enthusiasm than business sense. They didn't see anything wrong with paying me from the proceeds of the PDF sales, and when those dried up after the 4E announcement didn't really have a backup plan. The first person I dealt with was particularly aggravating, since her response to my plight seemed to be "if I ignore him long enough maybe he'll go away," but the second person I've been dealing with seems to want to do the right thing. They've currently got some financial issues due to a complication we need not go into, but it seems like I'll be getting $60.00 per payday until I'm paid up. It sucks that it's taken this long for me to get the money that was owed me, but at least it looks like I'll be paid up within a month.

More to follow as it unfolds.

 

[Mark]

I do not see where you say one way or another, and other people seem to be assuming otherwise, but I am guesing that the work you did was more in the vein of editing rather than writing or artwork, and therefore it is not something you can simply resell to another company. Is this the case?


Anyway, you are handling this just like the gentleman you are and have always shown yourself to be. I do not think that anyone could reasonaby fault you if, at some point, you decided you have waited long enough for the balance and need to escalate to sterner measures.

 

[John Cooper]

Mark: Yeah, it was an editing job (well, actually, three of them in a row).

 

[Orcus]

Best of luck. I hope you get paid. Your options are a bit more limited as the editor rather than the writer of the content. But you still deserve to get paid.

 

[John Cooper]

Sigh. I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this same old tired song and dance routine, but it's been over two months now since I was paid the first $60.00, and the individuals in question aren't responding to email. So, once again I get to resort to posting here, where they will undoubtedly see this issue being paraded around on the Publishers and Press Releases forum, and hopefully decide to pay me another chunk of the $120.00 they still owe me.

So, what do you say, [name withheld for now]? It's been over 60 days - have you managed to save up a dollar a day so you can pay me the next 60 bucks you owe me? Just think how much happier we'll all feel once this whole thing is behind us.

I hope to hear from you soon.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

This is ridiculous. (I mean them, not you.)

How many times are you going to let them call your bluff?

 

[Deset Gled]

I've really got to give you credit for being as patient as you have been. If I were in your shoes, I would have posted the company's name long ago.

The fact that they paid you a partial fee actually makes me very suspicious. IANAL, but I believe that paying you partially may make it more difficult for you to go through legal channels to get paid the rest, since it is now a dispute about how much you are supposed to be paid instead of a case of outright non-payment.

 

[Admiral Caine]

Wow.. I've never read this thread before. It's kinda macabre, like a slow motion train wreck.

I'm not a freelancer, I'm just a consumer..

But I hope Mr. Cooper gets his money. If not, I'm coming back here with popcorn for the big reveal. Then I'm telling everyone I know.

 

[Piratecat]

At this point, John, I'd argue that revealing the name of the deadbeats is more important than the remaining $120.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I respect your patience. And your superb editing, by the way.

All the same, I'd like to know who I should be boycotting. But I do understand, $120 ain't nothing. Hope it (finally) works out. :\